Note: This article includes significant spoilers for The Last of Us season 2.
Prepare for an even grander and darker experience in The Last of Us season 2. This might not surprise anyone familiar with the 2020 release of The Last of Us Part II, a game that left players reeling with its shocking twists and brutal storytelling. Based on the recently unveiled trailer, it seems that the second season will adhere closely to the grim storyline established by its predecessor.
The trailer is packed with familiar images and scenes for those who played Part II, while also introducing new figures, such as Jesse (Young Mazino), Dina (Isabela Merced), Isaac (Jeffrey Wright), and perhaps the most significant addition—Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). An observant fan pointed out a subtle callback to The Last of Us Part II within the teaser.
This particular reference is auditory rather than visual: a piercing sound that cuts through the somber atmosphere of the trailer’s melancholic Pearl Jam song. This very tone similarly accompanies the most harrowing moment in The Last of Us Part II, during the intense scene where Abby forcibly takes Joel’s life with a devastating blow from a golf club. That sound crescendos, drowning out the surrounding turmoil—except for Ellie’s heartbreaking cries.
Fans of The Last of Us have been engaged in discussions for years about how the HBO adaptation would navigate the complex and grim narrative of its second game. Central to these discussions is the inevitable question of Joel’s demise. How early will it happen in the upcoming season? Will the story unfold in a linear fashion, or will it flit back and forth in time, similar to The Last of Us Part II? Unfortunately, neither the Easter egg nor the trailer has provided clarity on these points.
However, the presence of such a distinct sound makes it clear—if the trailer’s many recognizable scenes from Part II didn’t already—that viewers should brace themselves for the same gut-wrenching emotional experience that characterized the video game when the series returns. Notably, the sound is introduced during what appears to be the fateful first encounter between Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and Abby, intensifying the sense of foreboding and intent behind its use.
The Last of Us season 2 is scheduled to debut on HBO sometime in 2025.